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A devoted black father is denied the right to parent his own children -- because he is blind
http://www.birminghamtimes.com/2015/05/a-devoted-black-father-is-denied-the-right-to-parent-his-own-children-because-he-is-blind/The right of the natural parent to the care and custody of his or her child is considered a fundamental right in the United States. In spite of that, a New York Kings County Supreme Judge in Brooklyn has slammed the door on an American fathers right to parent is own children solely it seems because he is blind. The judge, in this case, would insert able and in particular sighted in front of natural parent. No vision, no children sums up the Courts decision, upturning decades of civil rights progress and common sense.
Despite Christopher G. Roberts serving as his son and daughters primary caretaker, when he found himself in front of Justice Eric I. Prus, the judge informed him that because the children were young (then 3 and 2), and Mr. Roberts was blind – the judge was concerned about the children being protected from any hazard. The judge told Mr. Roberts that it was important for someone to be there asserting that Mr. Roberts was less than a full person, not quite a someone in the judges eyes. Remarkably, the judge conditioned Mr. Roberts time with his children be supervised by a sighted nanny who Mr. Roberts was to hire at his own expense. Even though Mr. Roberts was once a primary caretaker, the judge chose to allow him a scant seventeen (17) hours of time with his children and then with each second supervised. Such is the horror that unfolded on May 9th, 2014....
Somehow the fact that tens of thousands of blind parents raise their children every day without sighted supervision was lost to the judge. It is hard to tell how Mr. Roberts’ race (black) and gender (as the father, not the mother) played into his biased decision. Perhaps stereotypes about all of these traits continues to play a hand in this case.
The worldview undergirding the view that blind people are not capable of parenting takes us back to a dark time of US history where eugenics and moral laziness, prescribed involuntary sterilization for those persons deemed lesser than not fully someone.
Despite Christopher G. Roberts serving as his son and daughters primary caretaker, when he found himself in front of Justice Eric I. Prus, the judge informed him that because the children were young (then 3 and 2), and Mr. Roberts was blind – the judge was concerned about the children being protected from any hazard. The judge told Mr. Roberts that it was important for someone to be there asserting that Mr. Roberts was less than a full person, not quite a someone in the judges eyes. Remarkably, the judge conditioned Mr. Roberts time with his children be supervised by a sighted nanny who Mr. Roberts was to hire at his own expense. Even though Mr. Roberts was once a primary caretaker, the judge chose to allow him a scant seventeen (17) hours of time with his children and then with each second supervised. Such is the horror that unfolded on May 9th, 2014....
Somehow the fact that tens of thousands of blind parents raise their children every day without sighted supervision was lost to the judge. It is hard to tell how Mr. Roberts’ race (black) and gender (as the father, not the mother) played into his biased decision. Perhaps stereotypes about all of these traits continues to play a hand in this case.
The worldview undergirding the view that blind people are not capable of parenting takes us back to a dark time of US history where eugenics and moral laziness, prescribed involuntary sterilization for those persons deemed lesser than not fully someone.
So I guess Stevie Wonder shouldn't have raised darlin' A'isha.
